In this series, we will have a look at the top five players of all-time in their respective positions. The series started with a look at some of the greatest goalkeepers, followed by a look at the greatest fullbacks, and today we look at some of the top central defenders to have graced the game.
Bobby Moore
Clubs: West Ham United, Fulham
Country: England
Bobby Moore will always hold a special place in the heart of any England fan. He looks likely to remain, for the foreseeable future at least, the only English player to have captained his country to a World Cup victory, and is one of the most dedicated players to have ever worn the three lions. His tackle against Jairzinho in the 1970 World Cup is regarded by many to be the most exceptional tackle ever made due to its sheer precision.
The former West Ham man’s greatest achievement is his captaining of England to World Cup glory in 1966. Beckenbauer himself described Moore as ‘the best defender in the history of the game’, which goes some way towards showing the level of esteem he was held in.
Franz Beckenbauer
Clubs: Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos, Hamburger SV
Country: Germany
Beckenbauer is, without doubt, one of the finest centrebacks to have ever lived. His elegance, strength, composure and sheer dominance made him the complete defender, earning him the nickname ‘Der Kaiser’ meaning ‘The Emperor’.
Winning three consecutive European Cups with Bayern Munich made him the only FCB captain to have ever achieved this. He made 670 domestic appearances for his club and 103 for his country West Germany. In his illustrious playing career he won five Bundesliga titles, three European Cups, four DFB-Pokal’s, three American League titles, one World Cup and a European Championship.
Der Kaiser has also had a very successful managerial career, becoming the first individual to win a World Cup as both a player and as a manager in 1990.
Daniel Passarella
Clubs: Sarmiento, River Plate, Fiorentina, Internazionale
Country: Argentina
Much like Ronald Koeman, who’s also in this list, Passarella was a defender with an uncanny eye for goal. With 182 goals in 556 matches, Passarella was the highest scoring defender ever until Koeman came along.
Even though he won the Argentinian Premier League four times, he was most successful at the international level. The political issues surrounding Argentina at the time were reflected by his presence on the pitch, and he was named captain for the 1978 World Cup, which Argentina subsequently won.
Even though he was a part of the squad that won another World Cup in 1986, illness ensured that he didn’t play a major part.
Franco Baresi
Clubs: AC Milan
Country: Italy
No defensive list is ever quite complete without an Italian in the mix, and one of Italy’s finest sons, the Piscinin (the Little One) stayed in Milan for his entire career, demonstrating the abundance of loyalty which he bestowed upon the San Siro club.
His trophy cabinet is also well-stocked after winning six Serie A titles, four Italian Supercoppa’s, three Champions Leagues and three European Super Cups. Due to his long career, he helped mould some of Milan’s finest defensive talents in Alessandro Costacurta and Paulo Maldini.
Ronald Koeman
Clubs: Groningen, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Feyenoord
Country: Netherlands
This Dutch centre-back is unique amongst his peers as he was incredible at tackling as well as shooting. He is the highest scoring defender in history, having scored 193 goals in 503 league appearances. His defensive exploits also gave fellow Dutchman, Marco Van Basten the freedom to exploit his attacking talents to the fullest.
It’s quite accurate, therefore, to assume that Koeman earned many trophies in his career. In total he gained four Dutch league titles, three Dutch Cups, four Spanish league titles, four Spanish Cups and two European Cups. He also achieved great success internationally for Holland and was a part of the European Championship winning side of 1988.
Please share your views as to who you think is the greatest centreback of all-time in the comments section.